Washington Nationals Seen as Potential Landing Spot for World Series Ace
The Washington Nationals are heading into the offseason looking to take another step forward after a 2024 campaign that saw much of their young talent begin to flourish.
While the Nationals won the same number of games in 2024 as compared to 2023 (71), it felt like the team started to head in the right direction, as Washington won many of those games with its young players in the everyday lineup.
Washington features the bulk of its top talent. CJ Abrams and Luis Garcia Jr. established themselves as good players in 2024, with Abrams being selected to his first All-Star Game.
Also, the Nationals called up two of their top outfield prospects in James Wood and Dylan Crews. Wood received more time in the big leagues, but both showed signs that they belong already.
As the young lineup continues to develop, Washington is hoping that its starting staff can do the same. While spending on improvement at first base will likely be a top priority for the Nationals, adding a veteran front-end starter would be a close second.
Recently, Zachary D. Rymer of Bleacher Report highlighted Washington as a potential landing spot for Jack Flaherty, who Rymer believes will sign a four-year, $88 million deal this offseason:
There haven't been many solid rumors concerning Flaherty, but ESPN's Jeff Passan is the one who floated New York and Washington as good fits for him. The player himself, meanwhile, doesn't want to leave Los Angeles if he can help it. If that can be taken to mean the area more broadly, then the Angels fit him just as well as the Dodgers. And between the two, the Halos certainly need him more.
While Flaherty might not be in the same tier as Corbin Burnes, Blake Snell or Max Fried, he is going to garner a lot of attention this offseason. In 2024, the right-hander pitched well for both the Detroit Tigers and Los Angeles Dodgers. The Tigers dealt him to the Dodgers at the trade deadline.
With postseason experience and a World Series championship, Flaherty makes a lot of sense for a young Nationals team seeking to take a step forward.
Washington might be hesitant to pursue one of the top-tier pitchers after recent deals with Patrick Corbin and Stephen Strasburg backfired. However, a pitcher like Flaherty could help them win without costing them the premium it will certainly require to sign pitchers like Burnes and Snell.
